Audio of Flagler murder defendant's first court appearance released

Joseph Frank Bova II said he plans to become a certified public accountant, but his more immediate course of study might be criminal law.

By Tony Holttony.holt@news-jrnl.com

BUNNELL — Joseph Frank Bova II said he plans to become a certified public accountant, but his more immediate course of study might be criminal law.The man charged in the fatal shooting of a gas station clerk in February said during his first court appearance Sunday he did not want the services of a public defender. He wanted to defend himself in court.“I don't need a lawyer, sir,” he told Flagler County Circuit Judge Dennis Craig.The audio recording of the hearing was obtained Thursday by The Daytona Beach News-Journal.A group of recently arrested defendants gathered in a room at the Flagler County Inmate Facility for their first-appearance hearings and communicated with the judge via telephone. A representative with the Office of the Public Defender also was on the line.Bova's case was called first. His hearing lasted about 1 minute and 15 seconds.To determine whether Bova qualified for public defender representation, the judge asked Bova his monthly salary. Bova, 25, said his income varies because he is a full-time student studying to become a CPA.Craig told him an attorney would be appointed for him.The representative from the Office of the Public Defender then told Bova not to discuss the case with anyone at the jail and someone from her office would visit with him the next day.“OK, I don't need a public defender,” answered Bova. “I'm going to represent myself, if that's OK.”Craig told him that issue would come up again during a future hearing, but he needed the services of an assistant public defender for the time being.Bova thanked the judge and the hearing was adjourned.The Flagler County Sheriff's Office arrested Bova on Sept. 12. He was living out of his vehicle in Boca Raton, authorities said.Bova had been living in Bunnell the night of Feb. 22 when he shot and killed 32-year-old Zuheily Roman Rosado while she was working her shift at the Mobil Mart along State Road 100 near Interstate 95, investigators said. The Flagler Sheriff's Office has not disclosed a motive in the murder.Bova became a suspect after authorities identified the gun used in the shooting through ballistics evidence. Bova had purchased that model gun — a SCCY 9mm semi-automatic — at a Daytona Beach store and the gun was found in his possession by detectives, according to reports.George Reres, a Fort Lauderdale attorney, has been trying to contact Bova in an effort to represent him, he told The News-Journal earlier this week. Reres' involvement in the case started after Bova's family reached out to him, he said.